Prongs' Dream
by Katerina Mellark
Summary: What if James Potter had a dream of Harry's life before the final defeat of Voldemort? How will James change his son's life for the better?
1. Chapter 1 - The Prophecy

**CHAPTER 1 – THE PROPHECY**

2AM, 31 July 1980.

James Charlus Potter shot straight up. It was just a dream, he told himself. Everyone knew the Trelawneys were renowned seers, but the youngest Trelawney made the art a running gag between the Wizarding families. Known for her constant predictions of death, it was come to terms with his dream. But this prediction was more of a prophecy. As much as James didn't believe in predictions, he agreed that prophecies was the real deal. The last Great Prophecy made was about Grindelwald and his ride to power and subsequent defeat by the greatest wizard of his time, Albus Dumbledore. The rasping, the double timber in her voice, and subsequent amnesia to the matter. It showed signs of a true prophecy.

 _"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

James looked over to the form of his peacefully asleep wife. Lily, dear sweet Lily. Curled up into a ball, protecting their unborn son. He slowly got out of bed, making sure he does not wake Lily. A million thoughts ran through his mind. _Lily's due anytime soon, and it's already the 30_ _th_ _. Alice gave birth to baby Neville in the morning… Born as the seventh month dies… Maybe the Longbottom heir is the child of the prophecy? I should discuss this with Sirius and Remus. Has Dumbledore heard the prophecy?_

Creeping down to his Potions lab in the basement, James searched for a vial labelled _Veritaserum_ from his satchel _._ James brought this particular potion whenever he went on Auror missions, when interrogations were needed. His Invisibility Cloak was stuffed into the bottom of the satchel. With the satchel slung over his back, he quietly made his way back into the bedroom.

 _I've gone out to meet Sirius and Remus. It's important. Please don't be worried, I'll be back by dawn. Send me a Patronus if I'm not back by the time you're awake. Love you and Harry loads._

James placed the note on his pillow. He pulled up the blanket to Lily's neck, kissed her forehead once and stalked out. Casting his Patronus silently, he whispered his messages to both Sirius and Remus, asking them tob meet him at the Shrieking Shack immediately.

* * *

 _James better have a good reason for forcing me to meet him. It's after midnight, this better be bloody important._ Sirius sighed. It's the first time James has ever demanded for an emergency meeting in the middle of the night. _He probably doesn't want to be overheard, considering the location. But, it's past midnight! I don't want to get off my bed, I'm too lazy! Fine, only for you, James Charlus._ Sirius chuckled.

Sirius marched out of 12 Grimmauld Place. He looked around the empty street, making sure there wasn't anyone else in the vicinity. He spun in place, and with a huge _crack,_ Sirius was gone.

* * *

Remus Lupin was not a heavy sleeper. He was, actually, quite the contrary. The last he remembered was that he was reading the day's copy of the _Daily Prophet_ , and then he heard the unmistakable _whoosh_ of a Patronus. He stared bleakly at the form of Prongs infront of him.

 _Moony, get your furry butt to the Shrieking Shack. It's important. Extremely important. Don't tell Wormtail about where you're going._

Remus' brows furrowed. ' _Don't tell Wormtail'? Prongs better have a damn good reason for this._ Remus sighed and stood up. _This is gonna be a LONG night. Might as well pack some chocolate. It is nearing the full moon, anyway._

* * *

James laid back on the middle of the floor of the Shrieking Shack, staring up at the dusty ceiling when he caught the musky scent of Padfoot. He sat up, knowing full well that Padfoot will lick his face. The hairy Grim jumped onto James' back and barked.

"Get off, Padfoot. Don't make Prongs come out and kick you again. You know how it felt the last time." James chastised. Padfoot barked out, suspiciously sounding like a bark of laughter. Padfoot sat, and started to enlarge to Sirius, wearing a huge smile on his face.

"What's with the face, Prongs? Lily decided to leave you for Snivellus? Ow!" James smacked Sirius on the back of his head. "You'd better have a good reason for dragging me out at this time of night. I was about to tuck in with a rather curious Muggle book." Sirius was about to start babbling about his book when Remus Apparated at the door.

"If you two would consent to it, I'd like you two to drink up. The Butterbeers are laced with Veritaserum, and so is mine. I've brought you guys out here at such short notice, so I'm willing to answer any questions you might have for me." James took a gulp of the Butterbeer as Remus sat infront of James and Sirius.

"Since I have nothing to hide from my two best friends, why not?" Remus agreed.

"If this would at least clear the suspicion that I'm Voldemort's spy, then bottom's up!" Sirius happily chugged down the Butterbeer.

* * *

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm new to this, haha. Please be kind and leave me a review! Questions will be answered in the best way I can. Some things that I want to clarify:

1\. I consider the Shrieking Shack as the Marauders' property. Considering Dumbledore erected the Whomping Williow at the entrance when Remus started school, Dumbledore opened it up to them whenever they wanted to use it. There are still wards in place to keep out everyone except Dumbledore and the Marauders, as a precaution.

2\. James dreamt about everything that Harry did in the books. The Stone, the Chamber, the Deathly Hallows, everything. He's going to try to change everything, even trying to save everyone Harry loves from certain death. He's going to make sure that Harry grows up with love and care, and without endangering his life every year.

So, please do leave a review for this story, it'll help me out greatly! See you in the next chapter (:

\- Kat


	2. Chapter 2 - The Dream & The Veritaserum

**CHAPTER 2**

 **PART 1 : THE HOGWARTS LETTERS**

Between 11PM to 2AM, 30 to 31 July 1980

It was all in fast forward. James saw a miniature version of him in a boot cupboard. The young boy had circular glasses and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. _Oh, Lily's eyes._ Lily Potter had warm, bright green eyes that could melt even the coldest of hears. Her eyes shone with such warmth and kindness and the only explanation for it was _pure magic_. _This must be my little Harry,_ James told himself. Harry got out of his cupboard and walked over to the front door of the house. Bending forward, he scooped the mail off the floor and shuffled through the envelopes. One heavy envelope with the address written in green ink caught both Harry's and James' eye.

 _MR. H POTTER  
The Cupboard __under_ _the Stairs  
4 Privet Drive,  
Little Whinging  
Surrey._

 _The Hogwarts letters are always addressed to the place where the recipient sleeps. Mine was 'Heir Bedroom, Potter Manor'. Why was Harry sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs? Lily and I would never do that to Harry. Unless..._ James was puzzled at this point. _Had something happened to Sirius, Lily and I that we left Harry in the hands of neglecting guardian?_

Harry walked into the kitchen with the letter still in his hand. James beamed proudly that his firstborn son would be accepted to Hogwarts. While James took in the surroundings, trying to put a name to that oddly-familiar place, Harry slid into the chair beside the fat, pudgy boy.

"Hey, Harry's got a letter! Who would want to talk to a _freak_ like you?" The fat boy spat out, with venom dripping from each word. James turned to the source of the annoying voice and frowned. _I don't recognise this sad excuse of a boy._ The fat boy proceeded to rip the letter out of Harry's hand and tried to open it, but the seal won't budge.

"Give it here, Dudley!" The mountain of fat of a man beside the boy shouted. James turned to him, and gasped. _No, not Dursley. Why is Harry even staying with Petunia and Vernon? I thought Petunia made it clear that she wants no affiliation between us Potters and them?_ James was beyond puzzled at this point. All he wants is that this dream would just skip to the part where it was explained what had happened to him and Lily.

And yes, the dream did just that. It was all a blur until the dream slowed down, into a dark, dank house. _This isn't the Dursley home._ Vernon held a shotgun towards a large man with equally as large bushy hair and beard. James chuckled. _Ah, Hagrid. What are the chances that you're gonna snap that shotgun?_ And true to that, Hagrid twisted the barrel into a knot. _I really need to buy that man a bottle of Firewhiskey for standing up to that pig._

" **Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as – as –** _ **abnormal**_ **– and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"** Petunia's explanation was laced with so much venom that even a Basilisk would be jealous. However, her statement was vague, only hinting at the fact that she hated magic and the fact that Lily and James had left their only son to the Dursleys as a burden. James needed more.

" **You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then – an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing – he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh – took care of yer mum and' dad an' yer house, even – but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry…"** Hagrid sniffled. _Ah, Voldy killed Lily and I to kill Harry. Wait, that doesn't make sense. Okay, he killed Lily and I, probably because we tried to stop him, again._ James sighed deeply. As much as he wanted to run away and accept that this was all a dream and that none of it was real, he couldn't. James swore that even in a dream, he felt nauseous.

* * *

 **PART 2 – THE VERITASERUM**

"First thing's first, we will have to check if the Veritaserum works. In turn, we will each try our best to lie about these three basic details: our names, parents and Patronus. I'll start." James breathed in deeply before continuing.

"My name is H-Ha- _no,_ my name is Ch-Char-oh for Merlin's sake, this stuff really works. Lily can rival with Snivellus for his spot as Potions master. My name is James Charlus Potter, born to Dorea and Charlus Potter. My Patronus is Prongs, my Animagus form." James stuttered initially when trying to lie. He started talking smoothly when the truth flowed out of his mouth willingly. "Sirius, your turn."

"Sirius J-Ja-ames- _fine,_ Sirius Orion Black. Son of Walburga and Orion Black. Patronus, is of course, Moo- _damn_ -Padfoot, which is a Grim. Wow, Lily's potions are top-notch. Remind me to bribe her into brewing an exceptional Hangover Potion. Not like the weak ones you make from the Book of Potions." Sirius muttered the last line, knowing that his binge-drinking was not readily accepted by James nor Remus.

"My name is Remus John Br-Br- _ah hell-_ Lupin, born to Hope and Lyall Lupin. My Patronus is a wolf, and it has not-noth- _everything_ to do with my _furry little problem._ " Remus muttered, knowing he loathed the werewolf slumbering peacefully inside him.

"Alright, let's dive straight into it. Earlier tonight, I had a dream about a prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney. Now, Sirius, I know what's on your mind. I went to Divination class with you during my free periods in Fifth Year just to keep you company. I remember her predicting our deaths almost every other lesson. Just hear me out, okay?" James looked at Sirius as the latter quickly shut his mouth.

"It's a true prophecy. With the rasping, and double timbre of the voice. It's real. From what I deduced from the prophecy, there will be a child born ' **as the seventh month dies** ', and he will be kill Voldemort. ' **the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have powers the Dark Lord knows not'**. Oh, the child will be ' **born to those who have thrice defied him** '." James' tone fell to a solemn one at this point. "If you want me to continue, you two have to show me your left arms and swear that you're not a spy and you'll never be one."

Remus and Sirius looked darkly at each other. The both of them suspected the other, but didn't want to voice it out in fear that he was right. Remus started first. "To prove my loyalty to you two, I will swear a Wizard's Oath. I swear on my magic that I was never a spy for the Dark side, and I intend to never be a spy for the other side. If I do get back on that Oath, I willingly lose my magic."

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Moony. It was a nasty, vile voice nagging at the back of my head that you were a traitor." Sirius hugged Remus tightly. Feeling a great load being lifted off his chest, Sirius sighed contently. Pulling up his left sleeve and showing that his arm was free of the Dark Mark, Sirius began his declaration. "As the same for Moony, I will swear a Wizard's Oath. If you want me to, I wouldn't mind doing a threeway Unbreakable Vow. Okay then. I swear on my magic that I was never a spy for the Dark side, and never will I be one. I would rather die than betray my friends."

The air around them buzzed with strong magic.

* * *

"I stopped at the part where the child would be born to the crazy idiots who went against Voldemort thrice, right?" James asked. Sirius choked on the Butterbeer as he let out a snort while Lupin let out short laugh. "So, my theory is that there's two possible boys that the prophecy is referring to. Neville Longbottom, and sadly, Harry Potter." James sighed deeply as he dropped his head into his hands.

"But your son isn't even born yet. Oh, wait, don't tell me. The healers predicted that sometime today or tonight, Harry will be born?" Sirius commented sarcastically, eyeing James the whole time. A small nod from James confirmed the notion. "So you're telling me that Harry and Neville might be marked for possible death? But they're babies for Merlin's sake!"

Remus jumped up. "You really think that Voldemort is above murdering babies? He is a murderous psychopath with no morals at all. If he for a second hears a rumour that a baby has the unknown power to defeat him, he will hunt down the child with all he can and will most definitely murder the child in cold blood. Voldemort doesn't give two fucks about anyone or anything except for himself. Anyone who strays upon the path of Lord Voldemort, even by accident, will receive absolutely no mercy. I would do anything and everything to save the ones I love. Even when it brings harm or death to me. I will accept it willingly just so my loved ones are safe." Remus' voice dropped to a dare whisper. Pacing around the room, Remus ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. It is in the nature of a werewolf to be protective of his pack. James and Sirius had just witness the fact that Remus had already developed a strong bond with James' unborn son.

After a while, Remus sighed and sat back down. "So James, what is you plan? How do we stop Voldemort?"

"I have two ways. The willing sacrifice of love that was done by Lily in the dream is easily replicable. Anyone with blood relations to Harry is able to sacrifice themselves. My dad has been ill with all kinds of ailments, I'm not surprised if he passes on soon enough. He has asked me to find a way for him to pass on without any pain or suffering, and the only way is through the Killing Curse." James choked out. He found it hard to talk about his father's imminent passing. James took a deep breath and calmed himself before continuing. "If we follow the second way, we'll be following Harry's journey in his 6th and 7th year. We'll have to seek out all of Voldemort's horcruxes before ending that bastard's life once and for all."

At the word 'horcruxes', Sirius' smile dropped to a grimace. "Horcruxes? You mean he's gone further than even Herpo the Foul?"

James nodded. "You know how paranoid that snake is. He's so paranoid that he even has his own spy within the Order."

Sirius' face went from dark to red in a matter of seconds. "Who is this bastard? I want to know who he is."

James looked dead straight into his best friend's eyes, and spit out with as much venom as he could. "Peter Pettigrew."

* * *

A/N: Hello again! Sorry if it took a wee bit long, I've been busy with my part-time job. It's currently the holidays for me, I'm from a polytechnic (we get a diploma in a certain specialised area of our choice after 3 years, mine is Chemical Engineering. It's like high school.) It's a month-and-a-half-long holiday so I'm keeping myself busy (and also tremendously tired) with work.

As much as I want to go with the first plan of making Charlus sacrifice himself for Harry, it would be an short story if I were to follow that route. My grip of English is not exceptional, but it is good enough to hold your attention I guess? I'll try my best to publish the next chapter in a week or so, but no promises! My pay is coming in another 2-3 days? I really can't wait. So much plans to make! Do follow this story so that you'll be updated when I do dish out another abomination of a chapter. I kid, I kid.

See you in the next chapter!  
\- Kat


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